Sewing machine



A. H. DEVOE SEWING MACHINE March 21, 1939.

Filed Jan. 30, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l 159 s 1 m 0 02 1 m? V a m Q 1 0 M mar. w 0 E p m 0 HM 8 5 Any March 21, 1939. A. H. DEVOE SEWING MACHINE Filed Jan. 30, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Albert H De oe.

ORNEYS.

March 21, 1939. A, DEVQE 2,151,346

SEWING MACHINE Filed Jan. 50, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Agzert H DeDoe.

A RNEYS.

March 21, 1939. A. H. DEVOE SEWING MACHINE le 0, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 lllll m INVENTOR. Albert E Deb'oe.

9, RNEYS.

Patented Mar. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES SEWING MACHINE Albert E. Devoe, Westfleld, N. J., assignor to- Talon, Inc., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 30, 1936, Serial No. 1,559

12 Claims.

My invention relates to sewing machines and more particularly to improvements in sewing methods and machines for applying slide fasteners to various articles.

In my co-pending application, Serial No.

.743,561, I have disclosed a form of machine suitable for sewing in slide fastener tapes both sides at the same time, to the opposed edges of the material to be held by the fastener.

. My present invention has for its object to provide improvements in the machine of my-above mentioned earlier application, some of the improvements being for the purpose of facilitating operation and improving the result in various kinds of work, while others of the improvements extend the usefulness of the machines and method to a different class of work, hereinafter described.

In applying slide fasteners to hand bags it is in many cases desirable to have the fastener positioned more or less below the upper edges of the bag material. This is sometimes termed a hidden or 'a valley application of the fas- .tener. In such cases it is necessary to sew the opposite sides of the fastener tape to the bag material along lines spaced a considerable distance from the edges of the material.

The problem is not especially diflicult if the fastener is separated and the opposite sides of the fastener are attached to their respective sides of the bag material in separate operations, but in my improved machine it is desirable to stitch both sides of the fastener to the opposite pieces of bag material at the same time in a single operation'without separating the fastener.

My invention offers a solution to the problem just described and it further provides improvements in the mounting and operation of work guides in such a manner that the guides can be easily swung to a position to allow the operator an uninterrupted vision and affording suflicient space in front of the needles for free --unrestricted movement of the hand in manipulating the fastener in such position as may be required, and under the presser foot; also freedom of movement for threading the needles.

-It is a further object of my invention to provide improved tension applying means for the fastener tape which shall be automatically operable so that no attention is required by the operator.

Still another object is to provide improved guide means for the fastener assuring central positioning at all times and at the same time permitting uninterrupted passage of the slider through the machine. Preferably, the guide members are so designed that they constitute also the tension applying means.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown for the purpose of illustration one embodiment 5 which my invention may assume in practice. In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a sewing machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 isa rear elevation of the same machine;

' 3 is a plan view of portions of the machine adjacent the stitch forming mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 illustrates one kind of sewing operation for which my improved machine is adapted;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing work guides and the devices for operating the same;

Fig. is a horizontal sectional view on line 20 'I of Fig. 12; j

Fig. 8 is a detailed perspective view showing the linkage which connects the workholder arms;

Fig. 9 is a plan view showing a detail of Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view adjacent 25 the presser feet of the machine;

Fig. 11 is a view partly in horizontal section and partly in plan showing the fastener guide and tensioning devices;

Fig. 12 is a vertical section through the work 30 guides;

Fig. 13 is a perspectiveview showing one of the presser feet;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the throat plate; 35

Fig. 15 is a side elevation view partly in vertical section of Fig. 10;

Fig. 16 is a detail section on line lS-IB of Fig. 11;

Fig. 17 is detail sectional view on line mm 40 I of Fig. 11;

Fig. 18 is a detail sectional view on line iii-l8 of Fig. 15;

Fig. 19 is a front elevation of a modified form of presser foot; and 45 Fig. 20 is a sectional view on line 20-40 of Fig. 19.

In making my improved machine I preferably employ as many parts as possible of a standard sewing machine which may be easily obtained 50 on the market. Such machine may comprise the usual work bed I and head 2, which has the overhanging arm 3. The machine embodies conventional work feeding and stitch formng mechanisms, not shown, together with suitable mecha- 55 verticahreciprocating needle bar holder 4.- A conventional type of presser foot lifting mechanism by which the presser foot holder 6 is elevated, is shown, such mechanism embodying the operating lever 6, together with bell crank lever 1 and linkage 8, 3, l3 and II.

Referring now to Fig. 5, one type ofwork for which the machine is adapted will be described. A slide fastener having a pair of tape stringers l2, |3 withthe attached series of interengaged fastener elements I4 is placed between the pieces of material |5,-|6, as desired to attach the fastener to the pieces of material by the lines of stitching I1, which lines of stitching must be spaced back from the edges |3 oi! the material. This operation is accomplished by bending the body portions of the material outwardly on an angle substantially parallel to the work bed and sewing the bent portion to the margin of the tapes very close to the bend. The pieces of material I5, I 6 may be portions of the lining of a hand bag which resume their natural position shown in Fig. 5 and attached together along their bottom edges (not shown).

Preferably a sheet metal work bed extension plate 23 is attached to the work bed and this extends forwardly toward the operator from the stitch forming mechanism for the desired distance and laterally on the opposite sides of the lines of stitching. The work supporting plate carries on its under side and along the front edge a guide rail 2|. A pair of edge guides 22, 23 are mounted, one on each end of the work supporting plate and they may be adjustably secured in any desired position on the guide rail 2| by means of the guide rail clamps 24 and clamping screws 25. The central portion of the work supporting plate is preferably provided with a groove or channel 26 to accommodate the entire width of the slide fastener.

Referring now to Figs. 3, 6 and 12 a pair of work guides 21, 23 are arranged opposite each other and. between the .lines of stitching. Each has the horizontal portion 23 which is parallel to and closely adjacent the work supporting plate 23, and a generally vertical portion 30. The work guides are secured to the swinging arms or brackets 3|, 32 which are pivotally supported by blocks 33, 34 respectively, in the bracket 35. The bracket 35 is attached to the back of the head by means of the lug 36 which has the vertically elongated I holes 31, through which pass the screws 33. The

bracket may accordingly be adjusted vertically to vary the position of the work guides. A shaft 39 extends upwardly from the block 33 through the cylindrical bearing portion 43, and at its upper end carries the small operating lever 4|, which has a lost motion connection with the link 42. The lever 4| is fixed in any suitable manner to the shaft 33 and has a slot 43 with which the bent end of'the link 42 is engaged. The screw 44 is provided so as to adjust the length of the slot 43, and thus make the degree of the lost motion connection between the presser foot lift and work guides adjustable. The link 42 (see Fig. 2) is connected with the presser foot lift mechanism through the lever 45 which is fixed to the link 3. It will thus be seen that an initial movement of the presser foot lift will elevate the presser foot suiliciently to allow insertion of the work and upon further movement of the presser foot lift mechanism the lever 42 will engage the screw 44 swinging the arm 3| carrying one of the work guides around to the left, as viewed in Fig. 6. The

3,151,843 nism for operating the same, which includes the other work guide is connected for movement to the right in unison with the movement of the first guide. The connection may be of any suitable form, for example, a lever 46 fixed to the shaft 33 having a pin 41 which is engaged in the slot 43 of the lever 43, the lever 43 being in turn fixed to the shaft 53 to which theblock 34 is keyed. a

Each of the work guides includes the depending guide, bracket 5| in spaced relation to the vertical portion 30 of the work guide. The vertical portion of the work is fed between the guide 5| and the vertical portion 33 of the guides 21 and 23 and for the purpose the guide 5| is flared outwardly at its entrance, as indicated at 52, and inwardly at its delivery end 53, so that the upwardly extending material portions are forced inwardly toward one another as they approach the needles, as shown in Fig. 7. The vertical portions 33 of the work guide also preferably have means for guiding a depending pull lug such as the ball 54 attached to the slider 55 on the slide fastener. In the present instance, such guide means comprises guide channels 56, 51, in the vertical portions 33 of the work guides. These channels extend beyond the guides to a point closely adjacent the needles so as to provide a shelf "which supports the ball and chain until the slider and pull have passed safely beyond the needles.

The needle and presser feet will now be described and these elements are believed to have certain novel and important features. The presser foot holder 5 is secured to the presser foot lifting rod by a suitable collar 53 and screws 63.

The presser foot holder comprises generally a cross-arm with a flat vertical surface 6| against which the balance arm 62 is mounted, the balance arm being fulcrumed centrally on the screw' 63. The cross arm has a pair of spaced apart vertical cylindrical guides 64, 65 depending vertically in which are mounted the cylindrical portions of the presser feet 66, 61'respectively, connected to opposite ends of the balance arm 62 by screws 63,. 63, respectively. The vertical portion of each presser foot is preferably cylindrical to fit the hollow bore of the guides, 64, 65. Each of the presser feetat its upper end has a slot 13 extending across the same for receiving the balance arm 62 and,

preferably the balance arm is cutin such a way as to make a point contact at the bottom of the slot as at 1|. The downward pressure of the balance arm against the presser feet is borne by the contact point 1| so that the'screws 63, 63 act merely to retain the parts in position and they may also be used for adjustment of the width of the slot to compensate for any wear. As seen in Fig. 18 the holes in the balance arm 62 through which pass the screws 63, 63 are larger than the screws so that a slight pivotal movement around the central screw 63 is permitted. By reasonof the construction which has just been described, it will be seen that although the two presser feet are mounted on a common support an equal pressure is placed on each part to accommodate different thicknesses of material on opposite sides of the fastener.

While reference is made herein and in the claims to .presser feet, these elements are in fact more than presserfeet. By reason of their construction, their relation to each other, and their relation to the other parts, they perform important functions'in addition to the functions of presser feet, the horizontal portion of each presser foot comprises generally a flat rectangular shaped extension 12 which is of sufficient width 75 surface of each presser foot functions in the usual manner in cooperation with the feeding elements below the presser feet.

The presser feet have on their inner opposed edges the vertical work engaging surfaces I8, which are parallel throughout the greater part of the length of the presser feet and which flare outwardly as at I8, at the forward ends. These surfaces perform the important function of bending the material to which the fastener is to be stitched closely adjacent the needles and guiding it very definitely with relation to the needles.

Instead of the usual single needle bar which may carry one or more needles, I have provided two needle bars 80, 8I having a space 82 between them which is of very substantial extent both horizontally and vertically. This space ,is for the purpose of amply accommodating extending.

edges I8 of the material. Each of the needle bars, of course, carries the needles I3, 'Il.

The type of feeding device and throat plate may be generally the same as that described in my above mentioned application. The throat plate is illustrated in Fig. 14. A groove 88 is provided in the spring tongue 84 to accommodate the metal part of the fastener, and the slots 85 are arranged sumciently far apart to allow the feed dog to engage on opposite sides of the needles. The front end of the throat plate has a guide groove 58 corresponding to and aligned with groove 28 in-the plate 20, to accommodate the full width of the fastener and the-extending portions of the tension members 88 and 88.

Means is provided for applying tension to the slide .fastener tapes so that they will be kept taut as they approach the needles and avoid crimping the fastener which is often responsible for a wavy application of the fastener in various articles. The. fastenertapes pass under the combined tension and guide members 88, 88, respectively, just before they come to the presser feet. These members have the arms 80, 8| attached to rods 82, 83 respectively, which extend to the front of the work supporting plate. The guide member 88 is normally held in a vertical position by means of a spring 84 which connects to the lever 85 on the shaft 82, and similarly the guide member 88 is normally held 'in a vertical position by means of a spring 86 which connects to the lever 81 on the shaft 88 so as to allow the tapes to b easily placed in position.

The members,88 and 88 thus function in one capacity as tension plates in contact with the tapes of the slide fastener always automatically movable by their connected rods and springs to a vertical position when it is desired to put a fastener in place, and likewise automatically movable and held in proper position (as best seen in Figs. 12 and 13), by the horizontal portions 28 of the work guide members. The tension on the fastener tapes is adjustable by adjusting the vertical position of the bracket 80, which carries the work guide members 21 and 28.

Another very important function of the members 88 and 88 is that of guiding at all times the slide fastener so that it will be centrally between the lines of stitches which secure it tothe article. The ends of the rods 82, 88 (see Figs. 11, 12 and 16) are journalled loosely in suitable bearings 88, 88 adjacent the front of the work plate 20, and pass through recess 'I00, I M on the under side of the work plate, which widen out as indicated by the dotted lines I02, and permit always a yielding side movement of the rods 82,83 and thus of the guide members 88, 88. They are, of course, normally held in their innermost position by reason, of the tensionapplied by the springs 84 and 88. Their maximum outward swinging movement is preferably limited by the outside edges of the arms 80, 8| striking against the walls I03, I04 respectively, of the recesses in which the arms move. This inward and outward yield- .cause the movement of each member is limited,

it will be observed that both members must yield approximately in equal amount when the slider passes between them, which ensures thatit will pass centrally into the proper position between the needles.

Likewise when the blank ends of the fastener tapes which have no metal elements pass between the guide members these blank ends will be guided centrally between the needles because the guide members will press against the cord edges of the tapes.

The modification illustrated in Figs. 19 and 20 omit the balance arm and the cross-head I 05 supports directly the presser feet I08, I01. Instead of being cylindrical the vertical portions of the presser feet are fiat and are secured directly to the flat surface I08 of the cross-arm, by means of screws I08 passing through horizontal elongated slots II 0. This permits lateral adjustment of the presser feet with respect to one another to accommodate different widths of fasteners or any desired spacing of the lines of stitches. A slight vertical adjustment of the presser feet relative to one another by the conical head screws III, bearing in a recess II2, of each presser foot and against the shoulder II3 of the cross-head I05. A presser foot mounting of this type is suitable for work which does not vary materially in thickness and has the advantage that it may be readily adjustable laterally.

As a result of my invention an improved method 7 and apparatus have been produced whereby slide fasteners may be easily and cheaply applied to various articles of manufacture, both sides of the fastener in a single operation. In my improved machine the operator may easily shift the work guides to one side and clear the space under and in front of the presser feet. This enables an accurate quick positioning of the fastener and by further improved mechanism it is held in such accurate position during the placing of the opposite sides of the article to which the fastener is to be stitched.

While I have shown and described in this application one embodiment' which my invention may assume in practice it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for'the purposes of illus tration and description and that various other forms may be devised within the scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

-1. In a sewing machine of the class described having a head, a work bed and stitch forming mechanism, a pair of work guides which are positioned in front of the stitch forming mechanism when in operative position for guiding opposed edges of the work to said stitch forming mechanism, said work guides being pivotally mounted on said head for swinging movement in' a plane parallel to said work bed in order to clear the space in front of said stitch forming mechanism, said work guides in their operative position being in close proximity to said stitch forming mechanism.

2. In a sewing machine of the class described, having a head, a work bed and stitch forming rnechanism, a presser foot holding bar carried "by said head, a pair of presser feet, and connecting means between said bar and presser feet which permits limited straight line vertical movement of one presser foot relative to the other, the vertical distance from said connecting means to the bottom of said presser feet being substantially greater than the horizontal distance between the presser feet. I

3. In a sewing machine of the class described having a head, a-work bed and stitch forming mechanism, a presser foot holding bar carried by said head, across arm on said bar, a balance arm f'ulcrumed on said cross arm, a pair of presser feet having a pivotal connection on opposite ends of said balance arm whereby said presser feet may accommodate different thicknesses of work while maintaining equal pressure on the presser foot.

'4. In a sewing machine of the class described, stitch, forming mechanism including a pair of laterally spaced needles, and a pair of laterally spaced presser feet having their opposed inner faces positioned to direct and guide work between said needles, said presser feet being laterally adjustable to vary the lateral position of the work guide surfaces on said presser feet in relation to the position of said needles.

5. In a sewing machine of the class described, a pair of laterally spaced apart needle bars, a needle carried by each of said needle bars, and work guiding means for directing the work under said needles including means for bending of the work at right angles so that one portion extends vertically into the space between said needle bars and another portion extends horizontally.

6. In a sewing machine of the class described, stitch forming mechanism including a pair of laterally spaced apart needle bars, a needle carried byeach of said needle bars, a pair of laterally spaced apart presser feet with their opposed inner surfaces spaced apart less than the distance between said needles and formed to constitute guide surfaces and work guiding means for guiding opposite edges of the work to said stitch forming mechanism including means for folding upwardly between the needles at least the opposite edges of the work, said guide surfaces on said presser feet serving to guide said upturned edges into the space between said needles.

7. In a. sewing machine of the class described the combination with a work bed, a stitch forming mechanism, of a guide on the workbed for a slide fastener, and a supplemental guide above the fastener guide leading to a point adjacent the stitch forming mechanism for guiding a'loosely mounted pull device on said slide fastener to.

prevent interference of the same with said stitch forming mechanism.

8. In a sewing machine of the class described, stitch forming mechanism and-a work'bed, a guide for a slide fastener, said stitch forming mechanism including a pair of laterally"spaced needles, and cooperating elements for stitching both sides of the slide fastener to opposed edges 01 the work, work guides for guiding the work to the stitch forming mechanism above the slide fastener, and supplemental guide means carried I by said work guides for guiding a pull device attached to said slide fastener into position between the needles whereby the same will not interfere with said stitch forming mechanism.

9. In a sewing machine of the class described stitch forming mechanism and awork bed, a guide supported on said work bed for guiding a fastener tape to said stitch forming mechanism, a movably mounted work guide for guiding work to said stitch forming mechanism over said fastener tape, a tension device adjacent said fastener tape guide movable over said tape to apply tension thereto or movable to inoperative position to permit manual insertion and removal of the fastener tape, said tension device being automatically operable into tension applying position when said work guides are moved to operative position. 10. In a sewing machine of the class described having a head, stitch forming mechanism and a work bed, a presser foot and presser foot lifting mechanism, a pair of work guides vpivotally mounted on said head for swinging movement in a plane parallel to the work bed into a position to clear the spacein front of the stitch forming mechanism, and a lost motion connection between said presser foot lifting,mechanism and said swinging work guides whereby after an initial lift of said presser foot further movement of said presser foot lifting mechanism will also impart, outward swinging movement to said work guides.

11. The method of simultaneously sewing both sides of ,a separable slide fastener strip to the opposite pieces of material to be held to the fastener, which consists of bending the pieces of material at right angles to provide vertical and horizontal portions, guiding the vertical portions between a pair of stitch forming mechanisms and stitching both sides of a fastener tape to said pieces of material adjacent the bend line.

12. In a sewing machine of the class described, a head, a stitch forming mechanism and a work bed, guiding means for a slide fastener including guide members having means to press downwardly on the fastener tapes to flatten the same and also having lateral surfaces adapted to contact the metal elements on opposite sides thereof, or

the cord edges of the blank portions of the slide fastener, said guide members being laterally movable to permitthe slider of said slide fastener to pass between the same.

ALBERT H. DEVOE. 

